Amazon Extends Free Shipping Deadline for Holidays

Amazon has extended its ordering deadline for those who are looking to cash in on the company's free shipping offers and still have said presents arrive by December 24.

Amazon has extended its ordering deadline for those who are looking to cash in on the company's free shipping offers and still have said presents arrive by December 24. Here's the deal: for those who order more than $25 worth of items from the site, Amazon will give said person free shippinga standard practice of the company's since June 2002 (which required a $50 purchase at the time).

However, in order to guarantee that the items arrive in time by December 24, Amazon has extended the final deadline for purchasing to December 17. Orders placed after that will have to select a different (and pricier) shipping method in order to guarantee delivery by Christmas. The most inexpensive option after that, Amazon's standard shipping, cuts off on December 20.

Amazon Prime membersthose that pay an annual fee of $80 for free expedited shipping optionscan place an order with Amazon as late as 7 p.m. PST on December 22 and still have their items arrive on-time for the holidays (provided said members elect to make use of their free two-day shipping perk). After that, it's crunch-time.

December 23, at 3 p.m. PST, is the absolute final cutoff to ensure that an item purchased at the online retailer would arrive on December 24 via one-day shipping. Some local express delivery will be available on December 24 itself, but Amazon cautions that the option will vary per city and item.

David Murphy got his first real taste of technology journalism when he arrived at PC Magazine as an intern in 2005. A three-month gig turned to six months, six months turned to occasional freelance assignments, and he has since rejoined his tech-loving, mostly New York-based friends as one of PCMag.com's news contributors.
His rise to (self-described) fame in the world of tech journalism began during his stint as an associate editor at Maximum PC, where his love of cardboard-based PC construction and meetings put him in...
More »